Commission dresses up business as usual 30% energy efficiency target as success

WWF is disappointed by today’s European Commission proposal of a 30% energy efficiency target for 2030. By suggesting a target, that would require no increase in effort nor place legal requirements on Member States to deliver, the European Commission is missing the opportunity to tackle both energy security and climate change. WWF is advocating for a at least 40% energy efficiency target for 2030.

“The Commission’s approach is a recipe for failure. The EU executive not only fails once again to suggest a binding target for 2030, but also recommends a level of ambition that is no more than a business as usual approach with no real ambition for our continent. It means using the same wrong ingredients as the 2020 framework, and simply hoping for a better result.

While the Commission’s draft impact assessment, leaked in June, shows that a 40% energy efficiency target in Europe would boost jobs and GDP and cut the EU’s fossil fuel import bill and dependency on Russian gas, the European Commission seems to have decided to ignore its own new data.

It is now up the EU Heads of State and Government to show they are serious about tackling both energy security and climate change by adopting a more ambitious and binding energy efficiency target for 2030.”

The Commission’s proposal will be examined at the October European Council where EU Heads of State and Government will give their views on the nature - binding or indicative - and level of ambition of the efficiency target for 2030 in their conclusions. This discussion will run in parallel with the ones on a greenhouse gas and renewable energy targets for 2030.

2. A leaked draft of this communication (version number 12) suggests that the current momentum on energy efficiency efforts will only be maintained with a target of at least 30% in 2030. The same leak also showed that a higher target (40%) would tackle energy security and climate change while also ensuring growth and jobs.